Monthly Archives: February 2012

Oscars 2012: What’s Trending Now?

It’s that time of year again, the Oscars hit this past weekend in full fashion force. Some of 2012′s biggest color and texture trends were beautifully transformed into gorgeous red carpet designs. This year was all about keeping clean lines, not a lot of fluff and frill, while adding interest with different textures and patterns which is easily translated into trending interiors colors and design.

Whites, Creams, Beiges, oh my!

This classic staple shade along with simple designs made a huge impact this year. Keeping the color simple, gives you a blank palette to add texture such as stripes, cut-outs or a little sparkle. Using these different shades of white in interiors gives you that playful mix while still creating a clean, refined space.

Red is Hot!

The color red was more than just the carpet this year, a variety of gorgeous red hues showed up repeatedly. Red can be very daunting when trying to incorporate it into a space. It is a great accent for that pop of color without overdoing it, try adding it with accent pillows or pieces of artwork. Its a fun color to give a little life to a room.

Gilded Glamour

Gold, Silvers, & Metallics made yet another appearance this year. One of GHID‘s favorite interiors trends is mixing metals in interiors. Whether it be a statement piece of furniture or accent accessories, don’t be afraid of a mixing Silver & Gold.

Rich, Luxe Colors

Deep, bold colors were a great statement piece on the red carpet. Not many chose to go dark, but those who did made a great decision, needless to say. These are some great colors to incorporate and give depth to a room. Check out these great examples.

Pretty Pastels

Pastels have always had a place on the red carpet. From mint to rose pink, these soft muted hues are subtle yet bring a unique freshness to a space. We love using these soft color palettes that adds just enough color without taking over the space.

Winter, especially in the North West, is a great time to cozy up your home by adding layers of warmth in rich earthy tones and soft inviting neutrals. But now that spring is approaching its time to brighten up those neutral pallets with splashes of bold color, bold pattern, and bold ideas.

Changing up your home for one season to the next can be as simple or as dramatic as you desire. Below are a few simple ways to take your home from cozy winter into lively spring.

Top 5 Decor Tips on Ways to Brighten up your Interiors from Winter into Spring…

On Your Walls:

Splash some color on your walls. They surround you every day, so why not make them pop. Yolo Colorhouse is a local Portland Paint Company dedicated to quality paints in a full spectrum of colors that is also safe for our environment. (Zero VOC paints such as these allow you to paint your walls in the morning and have a dinner party in the evening, and no one is the wiser.)

Garrison Hullinger Interior Design

If you’re searching for something with a bit more pattern or texture for your walls try adding a bold print or a color pop with wall paper. Wall paper has come a long way and has been steadily making its come back. It works great as an accent wall or in small spaces such as powder baths.

via houzz

On your Furniture:

One quick tip for changing up a space is to change out your throw pillows and blankets. By adding new color, pattern and textures you can transform a room. Spring is all about new life, so why not bring that to your space?

Garrison Hullinger Interior Design

On your Tables:

Try changing out a few of your décor accessories with new bright pops of color. The GHID team loves to mix in many different elements when accessorizing; glass, ceramic, wood, metals… the visual and tactile differences will add character to the room.

Peter Pawlak

Bring in a new table lamp, one with an interesting shape or new color. A table lamp doesn’t have to be only for light, it can be a piece of art as well.

On Your Floor:

Just because it gets walked all over, doesn’t mean we should leave it out. Bring in a new area rug with some pattern, color, or texture.

Left: Tibetan Rust Area Rug, Middle & Right: Thom Filicia Area Rugs

The Outdoors In:

A great way to liven things up is by bringing all the new spring greenery from outside into your rooms. Adding plants to a space not only visually gives life, but increases your indoor air quality. If your space is a little tight or your thumb isn’t too green, try succulents. They are lower maintenance while still adding fresh pops of nature indoors.

Decorating your interiors should reflect your personal tastes and a sense of the unique. I know we at GHID take pride in making each and every project a little different than the rest, and a lot of that has to do with our clients adding their own personal touches to each of their spaces – however, we as their designers have the opportunity to help them amp up a few decor items, one being their throw pillows.

Decorating with Throw Pillows:

You’ve seen it before, a sofa dominated with pillows in every corner, crevasse and seat cushion alike, so much so that there’s seemingly no room to sit. We say that, more often than not, pillows scattered all over your furniture piece is just not very practical.

Your throw pillows should enhance your furniture piece and the overall design aesthetic in the space. Pillows are the icing on the cake, the cherry on top and the sparkle we like to add, and potentially even customize, for every room. It’s our way of telling the color story and overarching design theme, and by adding a few extra detailed touches to your throw pillows, you have the opportunity to create the unique look we were talking about above.

Adding Trimming Details to Your Throw Pillows:

There are so many ways to add those detailed touches to your throw pillows. Flange, double flange, contrast welt, brushed fringe, flat tape…the list goes on. AND, not to mention how you choose to use these trimming details on your pillows – flat tape down both edges of your pillow, or just one? That list goes on as well…

Contemporary and Causal Decorative Trim Options:

Many times our client’s assume that trimmings mean over the top, intricate detailed bead work they’ll transform their contemporary space into an old Victorian parlor. This is just simply not the case. Today we wanted to share a few trimming options in ways we would use them.

So next time you’re looking into changing up a few pillows in your space, remember these trimming details, and the options you have when using them. The options are endless and will add that touch of uniqueness to your space.
Enjoy!

Benjamin Moore forecasts new color trends in the coming year…

Benjamin Moore has always been and will continue to be our go to place for adding color into a space. Yesterday, I was fortunate to be able to “attend” their 2013 Color Pulse Webinar. And of course the color trends forecast fell nothing short of inspiring. Andrea Magno of Benjamin Moore presented the webinar. When asked what she saw as the biggest influence or staple color without hesitation she said PURPLES. This was very interesting because purple is not known to be one of GHID’s most used colors, but that does not mean there is no room for this rich, adaptable color to make an appearance in the future.

From Mauve to Plum and Lavender to Deep Burgundy, purples mix very well with complementing colors such as golden yellows, as well as adjacent colors of reds and pinks. Take a look at some great spaces implementing this royal color.

As you know, we visited the Las Vegas Market back in late January where we discovered new lines, furthered our product knowledge and gained a broader sense of design inspiration – can’t believe it’s already been three weeks!

There’s a lot to see, and a lot we have to pass over due to the time constraints – but we make time for the products we love. With that being said, we ran into one of our favorite accessory showrooms where serendipitously, Mottega was being featured. Our GHID design team fell in love with their shapes, sizes, materials and glaze selection – so much so we purchased a few of our own!

Decorating using Unique Table Lamps and Fixtures:

If you’ve been following us Portland Interior Designers for a little while now, you know we love decorating using pops of color and unique lighting pieces. Clean, sophisticated and colorful table lamps, interesting floor lamps and period lighting accents all work within our look and overall style. It’s important to add that mix into your home, making sure to honor it’s architectural roots but maintain a sense of the acquired.

We love Mottega lighting, and wanted to share a few images that represent their overall style – see why we love them?

Another lighting line that we’ve recently fallen in love with is called Caravan-Pacific, and wouldn’t you know it they’re located in our own backyard. This Portland, Oregon-based lighting company specialized in mid-century lighting, but will customize upon request. Check them out!